Why it's better to buy Apple rather than Microsoft, Mar 25, 2009

You have to hand it to Steve Ballmer. The man is never short of inaccurate statistics or words to take a dig at the two rivals which Microsoft has been confronting in recent times - Apple and Linux.

Economic downturns have a tendency to accelerate emerging technologies, boost the adoption of effective solutions, and punish solutions that are not cost competitive or that are out of synch with industry trends. IDC research finds that Linux users are clearly satisfied about their choice to deploy Linux, and during trying economic times, the potential for those same customers to ramp up their deployment of Linux is strong.

Wind River (today announced the immediate availability of Wind River Linux 3.0, Wind River’s most feature-rich Linux platform to date. Wind River Linux 3.0 is a pre-integrated, commercial-grade and fully supported Linux platform.

Is there a stimulus package on the way for those who use Linux and Open Source Software? You bet there is but it might not come from where you'd expect. Too many wasted stimulus dollars have already rained down upon those who wasted their own money but this time it'll be different.

A February survey of IT managers by IDC indicated that hard times are accelerating the adoption of Linux. The open source operating system will emerge from the recession in a stronger data center position than before, concluded an IDC white paper.

When it comes to Linux netbooks, PC manufacturers should act more like cell-phone makers and telcos by selling customized and subsidized machines with online services.

Openness will become a key criterion for handset vendors as they develop strategies to help them maximize revenues while reducing costs, reveals a new report by Informa Telecoms & Media.

Timesys Corporation, a provider of embedded Linux software solutions, and Lineo Solutions, Inc. today announced LinuxLink support for two Renesas SH4 processors.

In Microsoft vs. TomTom, Microsoft is suing TomTom in part because the guys from Redmond claim that TomTom's use of Linux in its navigation devices has violated three of its file-system related patents. One reason why Microsoft feels it can do this is that it already has patent cross-licensing agreements covering these patents with other Linux-using companies.

Despite hiring freezes and budget cutting, several high-tech talents remain in demand.

Nokia has announced the availability of the first Maemo 5 SDK alpha release. Maemo is the open Linux-based mobile platform that Nokia created to serve as the foundation for its Internet Tablet operating system.

Many retail outlets in South Africa are now selling notebook and netbook computers with Linux pre-installed.

Recently, the Android OS backed by Google was unofficially ported to an Asus Eee PC netbook, and according to online reports, the Taiwanese manufacturer has set up a team to develop a netbook running on the Linux-based OS.

The competition between Microsoft and open-source software reaches into the automotive space with the announcement of a new alliance among automakers and technology providers called Genivi.

Here's some good news for a change: Linux-related jobs are on the rise.

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